Submitted photoJason Langley, formerly of Burton, stops for a picture on a hike on South Manitou Island in northern Michigan. Since being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2006, Langley has taken up hiking to raise money to fight the disease.

BURTON, Michigan -- Jason Langley is a trailblazer.

Since he underwent surgery to fight testicular cancer three years ago, he has turned his life into a rugged tribute to the men who often suffer in silence.

Langley, a former Burton resident, is inspired by what he calls the "phenomenon of brotherhood."

Bent on increasing awareness of the disease and serving those in need, Langley is hiking trails across the country to raise money for the cause. His ultimate goal is to start a nonprofit organization to address needs that he knows are often overlooked.

Submitted photoJason Langley raised $2,000 on his latest trek near the border of Kentucky and Tennessee. He hopes to one day start his own non-profit organization to fight testicular cancer.

"Men don't really talk about this," said Langley, 40, who was born in Burton and now lives in Buchanan, Tennessee. "I had to muddle through it, deal with it. I found out I wasn't going to be able to have kids. It knocked me down pretty hard."

Just weeks after being saddled with a divorce, Langley was almost numb to the news about cancer. Thereafter, he began taking long walks to collect his thoughts; then, he says, something strange happened along the trail.

"Along the way, it opened up all my compassion," he said. "It opens up your heart and mind to what some guys are suffering through ... it's a brotherhood you never get rid of, forged into something you can't explain.

"I want to help them in any way I can."

Langley is a man's man. A veteran of the United States Army, he has been the crew chief of a B-29 and served in a search and rescue unit in Alaska.

He's always helped people survive, and is a survivor himself.

"I think that prepared me for a lot of things that have happened in my life," said Langley, who declined radiation treatment and is in his third year of observation through the University of Michigan Medical Center. "The passion itself kind of hit me sideways ... (hiking) took me out of the white noise of the world.

"We have a tendency as men to compartmentalize things. Being out on the trail shut down all that."

Langley's sister, Jill, says she has witnessed a difference in her big brother since his divorce and subsequent diagnosis.

"He's better now that he has walked this walk," she said. "He had lost everything, but none of that matters anymore. He's helping others."

Langley, who is laid-off from his position as crew chief at St. Louis Helicopter, says he has gotten hardcore about hiking in the past six months.

Earlier this month, Langley hiked the North-South Trail that winds through Tennessee and Kentucky. He hiked 65 miles in six days and raised $2,000 for the cause.

To date, he has hiked nearly 600 miles.

"Any way to bring in funds," said Langley, who hopes to one day hike the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail. "For men, (testicular cancer) is devastating. It affects every aspect of their lives. If I can make any impact, I want to do that. That's the goal."

According to the American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for the United States, about 8,400 new cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed this year and about 380 men will die of the disease.

Anyone interested in supporting Langley can visit his website for maps of all the trails he has hiked, photos of his many journeys and an opportunity to donate.

Thus far, the funds necessary his endeavor have been raised through mile-matching funds and general donations by both corporate and individual sponsors. The funds will be used not only to provide access to resources, but also to direct men and their families to them.